Practicand Romana

Acuma eu citesc povestea lui un autor. Autorul este Beverly Cleary. Ea a scris despre experiente ei in zilele Great Depression-ului si de Al Doilea Razvoi Mondal. Chiar daca mi se pare razvoiul era un lucru mai grav decat Depressionul mi se pare ca fata de Beverly viata nu avea la fel greautatea ca Depressionul. Se poate razvoiul era mai usor pentruca a putut sa castiga mai multi banii si nu mai luptea cu mama ei in fiecare zi, in fiecare scrisoare, si asa mai departe. Avea si ea un sot, un om bun spre ea, si ei au putut sa apreciez viata dupa un sens nou.

In cand in cand, ma gandesc si eu sa scriu, dar nu cred ca am ceva asa de interesant despre ce sa scriu. Am incercat sa scriu lucururile din fiecare zi aici in Taiwan, dar problema este ca viata mea de acum nu are foarte multe conversatie interesante cu alti oameni. Sunt mai mult singura la teme, la pregatire pentru munca, sau curatenia in casa. Conversatile interesante cu alti oameni sunt mai putine pentruca folosind limba chineza nu pot sa vorbesc despre lucrurile interesante.

In trecut m-a gandit sa scriu pe aicia despre lucruri pe care am invatat. Relatie distante, scoala si metoduri de invata, limbe si cum sa le inveti, si cum sa te muti la o tara straina. Mai pot sa vorbesc despre lucrurile aceste, dar n-am luat timp ca sa le scriu si mi se pare trebuie mai mult timp decat cei ce vreau sa folosesc.

Beverly Clearly a scris poveste foarte interesante pentruca ea scrie sincer despre lucrurile reale din viata. Ea e sincer despre probleme din familia, cu munca, cu bani, si povestile ei nu preface ca viata e perfect si usor. Asta e cea mai special lucru din lucrarea ei.

Teaching English (part 2)

In addition to some classroom teaching, I have been teaching English online. One factor that is definitely involved is cultural differences and culture shock on the part of parents who might not even be visible to me during class time, but who can see and hear the entire class.

In English, the phrase, too bad, is never used to describe something as bad - at least not as far as I understand. Perhaps with the exception of a sentence such as, "This item is too bad to use". Too bad is nearly always a phrase used to express sympathy, empathy, pity, compassion, or even disappointment. In a recent class I taught the word "sad" and then asked my student if he was sad (and he answered he was). The parents (who admitted their English is not very good) took this with offense, assuming that I meant their child's English or response was bad. I told this to a lady here in Taiwan whose English is very good and she said evidently it must be culture shock.

I feel bad for those parents because they will probably be upset over a plethora of little things done by their son's English teachers that are simply lost in translation. I truly feel this is too bad.

I had heard before, actually, that much of China is so unaffected by outside and/or international cultures that when Chinese interact with foreigners or move to other countries they suffer more severely from culture shock than people who have plenty of foreigners living around them or near them.

Teaching English Abroad

You never thought that teaching your own language would be very difficult - and in a lot of ways it's not. Yet, as I set down to plan a lesson or talk to a classroom of anxious, shy students afraid to speak louder than a tiny whisper, I wonder how to transfer what I intuitively know and understand into their little minds.

It can be so hard to know how much they understand because, on the one hand, they follow my English directions for activities (if not by understanding my words, at least by mimicking me or following my body language), but they often don't answer questions and give me blank stares when I talk or ask them questions.

And so begins the challenge, faced by so many English teachers I'm sure, how do I get these kids to talk? A few points are obvious and some I have realized over time:

- Make class interesting
- Get the kids physically involved in the lesson
- Find ways to involve humor
- Create some competition where kids have to talk in order to win

I think I also need to help them digest the information they will need to use in order to interact - even though they are getting it in previous lessons. I need to reinforce what they are taught in the lessons when I'm not in class in order for them to be able to use the vocabulary, etc.

I also realize I need to have some questions available for them to use in order to help me reinforce their own understanding when they aren't understanding. For example, "What does ___ mean?" "Can you say it again?" "Can you say it slower?" "How do you say ___ in English?"

For some reason this process is much easier with babies than with elementary students.

Not quite so illiterate as before

I have now been taking Chinese classes for a total of about two and a half months and I am really beginning to see the work pay off.

Today I was able to recognize cabbage dumplings in a menu and just asked the clerk to verify if there was meat inside (to ensure my stomach would be full when I was done eating). I have been able to recognize (on some signs) about half the characters and even if I'm not entirely sure of the meaning, I have at least some idea of what it might be talking about. There have even been times that I have recognized all the characters in a sign and actually understood it!

This feels like a huge break through after all those vulnerable moments where all I could do was look at a menu in bewilderment. Granted, I still am left clueless as to most of the foods listed.

For example, yesterday I went and tried to order something besides my typical go-to dumplings and wantons and order Beef Noodle Soup - a favorite food of many Taiwanese. When the food came it turned out I had ordered pork dumplings in beef broth. I certainly recognized "beef soup" in the name, but failed to recognize the significance of the other characters in the name.

Regardless, I still tried something new, wasn't altogether clueless as to what I was getting, and it filled my stomach.

Life in a foreign country is always full of surprises!

It's the small things...

I ordered something new of a menu today because I read it and wanted it. (The menu wasn't in English and I didn't use Google Translate). I ordered something that is a twist on the dumplings I typically revert to eating (for the sake of relative familiarity), but it was still a new food and I still  ordered independently and all in Chinese. I was happy to know I wasn't just guessing at a food and hoping it would turn out to be good.

It's a small victory, but perhaps it is a victory all the same.

Lost in Thoughts (and books)

We drove down the highway. Ahead was a river of shimmering lights - white lights approaching from the left and red traveling with us on the right. The mountains stretch out beyond the shining river, the sun leaves a pink glow in the grey-blue sky which will soon deepen to black. In the car is the sound of classical violins and the fluctuating tones of a one-sided conversation of my mother-in-law on the phone. I don't understand most of the words, I don't even bother trying to pick up on the meaning. That would require effort that I might need to apply at another time, there's no point in exhausting myself for a conversation not relevant to myself.

On road trips like this I often become lost in my own thoughts. I can't think of anything to talk about, so we ride on in comfortable silence. Since Rex is on this road trip, most of the actual communication happens between my in-laws and him. That's what you call the path of least resistance. My own thoughts lately have involved books downloaded on my phone. I am often transported from Taipei's busyness to the lives of Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, or even Beverly Cleary herself.

My only concern with my increased reading lately is the relatively reduced opportunities I grab hold of to practice speaking and listening in a Chinese world.

Street Food in Tainan

      The five of us were walking down the road like a row of ducklings down a narrow road. The sun blazed on us as we shuffled past a long line of people waiting for some delicious street treat (who knows what), and avoided the motorcycles zooming past on the right. Above spanned the multitude of advertisements for wares and goods (who knows what) in those mysterious Chinese characters. 

        My mother and father-in-law are looking for a place to eat. Food surrounds us, the choices are endless. We cross the road to turn onto the next street and stopped at a restaurant with no front wall or door. Everything here appears grey; the stainless steel cupboards, counters, stove, refrigerator, the stony floor, the canopy above, and the asphalt road outside. Only the two workers behind the counter seem to add color to the scene with their brown skin, black hair, and blue or pink t-shirts and the essential Asian piece de resistance - their light blue face masks.